1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to oil spill recovery, and more particularly to large scale, offshore and nearshore oil spill skimming equipment capable of high volume recovery of oil in the open sea, regardless of weather conditions.
2. Brief Description of Prior Art
For many years, crude oil and refined hydrocarbon product spillages at sea have been a problem. The environmental damage and clean up costs of large spills can present a serious problem for the industries involved. As more crude oil and refined hydrocarbon products are being transported over longer distances by large tankers, and with the increase in off shore hydrocarbon exploration and production, the problem of dealing with spillages is likely to increase. As such, a method and apparatus is needed for reliably removing the spillages as rapidly as possible from the surface of the water in open seas.
Slicks in the open sea vary considerably in their characteristics depending upon the type of crude oil or refined hydrocarbon products spilled, the weather, size of the spillage and the condition of the sea. When compared with the problems of recovering spillages in quiet, calm seas, bays, harbors or rivers, the recovery of spillages in the open sea, particularly under adverse weather conditions, is clearly more difficult. Frequently in the past, many types of spillage recovery equipment have only been effective in relatively calm conditions and were intended for short term operation.
To date, many types of methods and apparatus have been used in attempts to deal with spillages. Most of the presently-known equipment is of marginal use in harbors or relatively protected waters but is ineffective on the high seas. Even in calm water, the prior art can be marginal at best.
As will be seen from the subsequent description, the preferred embodiments of the present invention overcome shortcomings of the prior art.